"Dear Future Intern" by Carina Greico

Applications for Summer 2018 Internships are now being accepted! Click here to learn more and read below a former intern’s experience.Dear Future Intern,Looking back, I have realized that applying for this internship was one of the best decisions that I have made for myself. My experience was extremely beneficial to my leadership in the pro-life movement: not only did I grow in pro-life knowledge, I also grew as a person and as a leader.Being three hours away from home and spending an entire summer in a place that I had only visited once, with people who I barely knew - it all seemed really intimidating. I actually decided against applying the first summer that it was recommended to me because I was not willing to step out of my comfort zone. However, last spring, I decided to put my personal fears behind me, take a step into the unknown, and dedicate my summer to my passion for life. And boy, I am thankful that I did!On the first day of the internship, Pam and Morgan went over all of our summer projects and the last one they showed us focused on activism. Every 2 weeks, we’d learn about a different pro-life topic, then go out and talk to strangers about what they thought about the topic. I felt scared and ill-prepared - had they created this project knowing that I hated activism?! I remember trying to figure out ways around it so I could continue on with my cowardice lifestyle, not having to face my fears. That was the Carina that walked into this internship. That was the Carina that was full of excuses and not willing to put her name out there. But through this internship, I learned how to be a true leader of this movement. Through this internship, I learned more about myself, my passions, and my faith than I have in my entire life. I was given so many opportunities to challenge myself and grow deeper in understanding of the movement. I spent almost every day gaining knowledge and experience, as well as facing my fears in learning how to dialogue while still dignifying the person in front of me. The SFLI team also cared so much about helping me grow in the skills and virtues that I needed to be successful back on campus. Without this experience, I would not have been as successful as a pro-life leader when coming back to Loyola’s campus in the fall. Last summer, I gained a lot of confidence in talking to people, so going back to campus, I was more willing to invite others to join Loyola Students for Life. At one of our first events in tabling for our club, we were able to get over 100 students to sign up because of our ability to motivate others and courageously talk about being pro-life!If I could relive this experience over again, I totally would. There is so much to gain from spending a summer surrounded by such inspiring people. Give this opportunity a chance because you will definitely be thanking yourself later, I know that I definitely did. With Joy, Carina GreicoSFLI Summer Intern 2017Click here to apply for a 2018 Summer Internship!